Tornado resistant house

ABSTRACT

A tornado resistant structure which includes a base and a building structure positioned on the base, The building structure includes a plurality of deflection walls and reinforced corners and a plurality of skylights carried on a roof of the building structure, wherein each skylight includes a tapered sidewall. The building structure includes an entrance and a drain positioned proximate to the entrance.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.60/949,639 filed on Jul. 13, 2007, the contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to buildings and, more particularly, tobuildings designed to be resistant to tornadoes.

2. Description of the Related Art

Particular geographical areas are known to suffer from tornadoes.Generally, tornado-prone areas occur at middle latitudes where cold, dryair at a high altitude in the atmosphere meets warm, moist tropical aircloser to the surface of the earth. For example, the central UnitedStates is prone to tornadoes because cold, dry air from the RockyMountains often meets moist, warm air from the southeastern UnitedStates. The damage to buildings from tornadoes is costly and it isinconvenient and time consuming to rebuild. Additionally, people areoften injured from total or partial collapse of a building and fromflying debris if they are not able to find shelter.

To reduce tornado injuries, people often find shelter in the basement oftheir homes. For people who live in a structure without a basement, suchas a mobile home, there are many different types of tornado-resistantshelters and construction techniques. For example, U.S. Pat. No.4,955,166 discloses an underground shelter to protect people fromtornadoes. U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,972 discloses a tornado protection roomintegrated within a building construction. However, these forms oftornado protection are limited because they require time for people toobtain shelter therewithin after they realize a tornado is approaching.This is difficult because of the unpredictable nature of tornadoes andthe speed with which they form and travel. Thus, there is a need for atornado-resistant building design that encompasses an entire buildingstructure and provides a comfortable residence.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a tornado resistant structure whichincludes a base and a building structure positioned on the base, Thebuilding structure includes a plurality of deflection walls andreinforced corners and a plurality of skylights carried on a roof of thebuilding structure, wherein each skylight includes a tapered sidewall.The building structure includes an entrance and a drain positionedproximate to the entrance.

The present invention provides a tornado resistant structure, whichincludes a base and a building structure positioned on the base. Thebuilding structure includes a plurality of angled deflection walls, areinforced corner positioned between each adjacent deflection wall, afront entrance extending through one of the deflection walls, a firstdrain positioned to receive water flowing through the front entrance anda skylight carried on a roof of the building structure, wherein eachskylight includes a tapered sidewall.

Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent tothose skilled in the art from the following detailed description, takentogether with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top front perspective view of a tornado-resistant structure,in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 is a top rear perspective view of a tornado-resistant structure,in accordance with the invention.

FIGS. 3 a and 3 b are sectional views of a tornado-resistant structuretaken along line 10-10 of FIG. 1, in accordance with the invention.

FIGS. 4 a and 4 b are partial top rear perspective view and top frontperspective view of a tornado-resistant structure, in accordance withthe invention.

FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of a tornado-resistant structure withits roof removed, in accordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1 and 2 are a top front perspective view and a top rearperspective view, respectively, of a tornado resistant structure 100, inaccordance with the invention. Tornado resistant structure 100 includesa building structure 101 positioned on a base 102. Base 102 ispositioned on a ground 103. Building structure 101 can be constructed inmany configurations and shapes, such as a dome. Here, building structure101 is a rectangular shape that includes a front deflection wall 104 a,a rear deflection wall 104 c, a side deflection walls 104 b and 104 d, areinforced corners 105 a, 105 b, 105 c, and 105 d, and a rooftop 106. Aninterior 107 (not shown) is bounded by rooftop 106, deflection walls 104a-d, corners 105 a-d, and base 102. Interior 107 can include manydifferent rooms and arrangements. In this embodiment, interior 107consists of nine rooms, including a rear room 130 a and frontroom 130 b(FIG. 5).

The materials used to make deflection walls 104 a, 104 b, 104 c, and 104d, reinforced corners 105 a, 105 b, 105 c, and 105 d, and rooftop 106can be of many types, but the materials used should be able to withstandthe strong winds of a tornado, such as bricks or steel-reinforcedconcrete. Further, deflection walls 104 a, 104 b, 104 c, and 104 d,reinforced corners 105 a, 105 b, 105 c, and 105 d, and rooftop 106 canhave many shapes and arrangements, such as curved or dome surfaces,although here they are flat.

Front deflection wall 104 a and rear deflection wall 104 c arepositioned spaced apart from and opposing each other on base 102, withside deflection walls 104 b and 104 d positioned therebetween. Frontdeflection wall 104 a and rear deflection wall 104 c are each positionedroughly perpendicular to side deflection walls 104 b and 104 d, withreinforced corners 105 a-d positioned at their ends. For example, frontwall 104 a is perpendicular to side wall 104 b, with reinforced corner105 a extending between one end of front wall 104 a and one end of sidewall 104 b. Reinforced corners 105 a-d are provided to strengthen theconnections between walls 104 a-d and thus strengthen building structure101. If building structure 101 is stronger, it is less likely to bedamaged by strong winds during a tornado, and is thus safer for peoplewithin building interior 107. Exterior deflection walls 104 a-d andreinforced corners 105 a-d are also sloped to deflect the strong windsfrom a tornado and to prevent wind damage during a tornado, as will bediscussed presently.

Exterior deflection walls 104 a-d and corners 105 a-d extend upwardlyand inwardly from base 102 and ground 103 to rooftop 106. In thismanner, walls 104 a-d and corners 105 a-d are at an angle greater thanzero degrees and less than 90 degrees relative to base 102 and ground103. In this manner, walls 104 a-d and corners 105 a-d are sloped, anexample of which is shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 a shows a sectional view of structure 100 taken along line 110 ofFIG. 1. Interior angle θ is formed between wall 104 b and plate 102 asshown. In this embodiment, angle θ is greater than zero and less than 90degrees. By positioning side deflection wall 104 b so that interiorangle θ is greater than zero and less than 90 degrees, wall 104 b willdeflect the strong winds from a tornado away from wall 104 b. Similarly,by positioning walls 104 a, 104 c, 104 d, and corners 105 a-d with aninterior angle greater than zero and less than 90 degrees, they willdeflect the strong winds from a tornado away from walls 104 a, 104 c,104 d, and corners 105 a-d. Hence, walls 104 a-d and corners 105 a-d aresloped to deflect the strong winds from a tornado away from structure100. Deflecting the strong winds from a tornado away from structure 100will prevent damage to building structure 101 and will prevent injury topeople in building interior 107. It should be noted that FIG. 3 a showsan embodiment with deflection wall 104 b positioned against an interiorwall 107 b, bounding a volume 107 c. In other embodiments, deflectionwall 104 b, interior wall 107 b, and volume 107 c can be combined to bean integrated deflection wall 104 e, as shown by substitution arrow 115.

Rooftop 106 extends above walls 104 a-d, and thus bounds and coversinterior 107 in accordance with the invention. Rooftop 106 can be ofmany types. In this embodiment, rooftop 106 is a substantially flat,rectangular surface. Rooftop 106 is a flat surface so it more accessibleto people and so that rooftop 106 and structure 101 will have a lowprofile. By being a low profile, structure 101 and rooftop 106 are lesslikely to be damaged by the strong winds of a tornado. By being moreaccessible to people, rooftop 106 can be used for other purposes than aroof, such as to grow a garden or for a deck. In this embodiment,rooftop 106 includes a posts 120, a cables 121, and a skylights 122, aswill be discussed presently.

Posts 120 are positioned around the perimeter of and extend upwardly andaway from the top surface of rooftop 106. Posts 120 can be of manytypes, such as round pipes, but here they are square with apyramid-shaped top. Cables 121 are connected to and extend between posts120. Many numbers of rows of cables can be connected to and extendbetween posts 120, but here there are two. Posts 120 and cables 121prevent people from falling off rooftop 106 and allows rooftop 106 to besafely used for purposes other than a roof, as discussed above.

Skylights 122 are positioned on rooftop 106 and extend therethrough.Skylights 122 each include a window 123 and a frame 124. Window 123allows light to pass through each of skylights 122, through rooftop 106,and into building interior 107. In this manner, skylights 122 canilluminate building interior 107. Skylights 122 can be positioned onrooftop 106 to be aligned and illuminate specific rooms within buildinginterior 107. Windows 123 can be of many materials, such asshatter-resistant glass, but here they are a transparent plastic. Theexterior walls 124 a-d of frame 124 are sloped to deflect the strongwinds of a tornado away from frame 124 in the same manner as the slopeddeflection walls 104 a-d of building structure 101 discussed above.Thus, the exterior walls 124 a-d of frame 124 deflect the strong windsof a tornado away from skylight 122. Deflecting the strong winds of atornado away from skylight 122 will prevent window 123 from breaking,which will prevent the strong winds and flying debris of a tornado fromentering building interior 107. This will prevent injury to peopleresiding within building interior 107. In addition to skylights 122,building interior 107 can be illuminated by interior lighting, as willdiscussed presently.

FIG. 3 b shows an embodiment of a sectional view of structure 100 takenalong line 110 of FIG. 1. In this embodiment, structure 100 includes aheight H_(room) extending between the bottom surface of roof 106 and thetop surface of plate 102 and a height H_(structure) extending from thebottom surface of plate 102 a to the top surface of roof 106. Structure100 includes a facilities channel 109 and a light emitting element 108.Facilities channel 109 can provide many facilities to structure 100,such as ductwork for HVAC and electrical wiring. Light emitting element108 is provided to illuminate interior 107. Light emitting element 108can illuminate interior 107 in many ways, such as through a wall fixturemounted flush with wall 107 b. Here, light emitting element 108illuminates interior 107 through a window 111 positioned in wall 107 b.In this manner, interior 107 is illuminated by light emitting element108 shining through window 111 similarly to a home that does not have anexterior deflection wall 104 b. Further, by positioning light emittingelement 108 and facilities channel 109 within volume 107 c instead ofwithin interior 107, the available living space within volume 107 c isincreased. By increasing the available living space within interior 107,H_(structure) can be decreased and H_(room) can be increased. Bydecreasing H_(structure), structure 100 is less susceptible to damageand provides better protection to occupants of structure 100 during atornado. By increasing H_(room), the comfort of the occupants residingwithin interior 107 is increased. In this manner, the position of lightemitting element 108 and facilities channel 109 within volume 107 cincreases the protection and safety of structure 100 during a tornadoand increases the comfort of structure 100. To further increase theprotection and safety of structure 100 during a tornado and increase thecomfort of structure 100, structure 101 can be recessed, as will bediscussed presently.

In this embodiment, plate 102 of structure 100 includes a ground levelportion 102 a and a recessed portion 102 b connected by portion 102 c asshown in FIG. 3 b. A ground level 103 a is the level of the groundsurrounding structure 100. Portion 102 a is positioned above groundlevel 103 a, and portion 102 b is positioned below ground level 103 a. Aheight H_(exposed) extends from level 103 a to the top surface of roof106 on structure 100. In this manner, plate 102 a and a portion ofinterior 107 and structure 100 are positioned above ground level 103 a.A height H_(recessed) extends from level 103 a and the bottom of plate102 a to the bottom of plate 102 b. In this manner, plate 102 b and aportion of interior 107 and structure 100 are positioned below groundlevel 103 a. By positioning a portion of interior 107 and structure 100below ground level, H_(recessed) decreases the height H_(exposed) and/orincreases height H_(room) for a structure 100. By decreasing heightH_(exposed), the amount of structure 100 exposed to the strong winds ofa tornado will be decreased. By increasing height H_(room), the comfortof interior 107 will be increased as discussed above. In this manner,H_(recessed) increases the protection and safety of structure 100 duringa tornado and/or increases the comfort of structure 100. It should benoted that by positioning a portion of interior 107 and structure 100above and below ground level 103 a, interior 107 and rooftop 106 ofstructure 100 can both be easily accessed. Rooftop 106 and the buildinginterior 107 of structure 101 can be accessed in many ways. In thisembodiment, they are accessed using a door and a combination door, aswill be discussed presently.

FIG. 4 a is a partial top rear perspective view of structure 101, inaccordance with the invention. Structure 101 includes a rear entrance135 that extends through rear deflection wall 104 c into backroom 130 aof interior 107. In this manner, rear entrance 135 provides access tobackroom 130 a and to interior 107 of structure 101. Rear entrance 135can be positioned in many ways, but here it is positioned with a bottomedge flush with base 102 to allow the low profile of structure 101 asdiscussed above. Backroom 130 a can be of many types, but here it is agarage to contain a vehicle 131. Structure 101 includes a door 136 thatis sized to cover rear entrance 135. Door 136 is repeatably movablebetween a closed position that covers rear entrance 135, preventingaccess to backroom 130 a, and an open position that does not cover rearentrance 135, allowing access to backroom 130 a. In this manner, door136 closes and opens to prevent and allow access to backroom 130 a andinterior 107 of structure 101. It should be noted that door 136 can bepositioned and shaped in many ways. In this embodiment, door 136 isroughly square and is positioned to be flush with wall 104 c. Door 136is flush with wall 104 c so it will be sloped, and will thus deflectstrong winds from a tornado in the same manner as the slope indeflection wall 104 c discussed above.

FIG. 4 b is a partial top rear perspective view of structure 101, inaccordance with the invention. Structure 101 includes a front entrance137 that extends through front deflection wall 104 a into frontroom 130b of interior 107. In this manner, front entrance 137 provides access tofrontroom 130 b and to interior 107 of structure 101. Front entrance 137can be positioned in many ways, but here it is positioned with a bottomedge flush with base 102 to allow the low profile of structure 101 asdiscussed above. Structure 101 also includes a combination door 139 thatis sized to cover front entrance 137. Combination door 139 is providedto allow and prevent access to front entrance 137 and roof 106. Itshould be noted that combination door 139 can provide access to roof 106in many ways, such as through an external ramped surface. In thisembodiment, combination door 139 includes external stairs 139 a toprovide access to roof 106. In a closed position, combination door 139covers front entrance 137 to prevent access to frontroom 130 b and allowaccess to roof 106. In an open position, combination door 139 does notcover front entrance 137 and allows access to frontroom 130 b andprevents access to rooftop 106. It should be noted that combination door139 is repeatably movable between the open position and the closedposition. In this manner, combination door 139 opens and closes to allowand prevent access to frontroom 130 b and interior 107, and rooftop 106,respectively, of structure 101. It should be noted that in addition toproviding access to roof 106, the stairs on combination door 139 providea surface that will deflect strong winds from a tornado in the samemanner as the slope in deflection wall 104 a discussed above.

FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of tornado-resistant structure 101 withits roof removed, in accordance with the invention. FIG. 5 showsinterior 107 with rooms 130 a and 130 b as discussed above. Rooms 130 aand 130 b each include a drain 132. Drains 132 can be positioned in manyways, but here they are positioned on and extending through plate 102,away from openings 135 and 137 in rooms 130 a and 130 b, respectively.Drains 132 are needed to remove excess water in the event of floodingthat may occur in rooms 130 a and 130 b. Flooding in rooms 130 a and 130b may occur due to the low profile of openings 135 and 137 discussedabove.

The embodiments and examples set forth herein were presented in order tobest explain the present invention and its practical application and tothereby enable those of ordinary skill in the art to make and use theinvention. However, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognizethat the foregoing description and examples have been presented for thepurposes of illustration and example only. The description as set forthis not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to theprecise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possiblein light of the teachings above without departing from the spirit andscope of the forthcoming claims.

1. A tornado resistant structure, comprising: a base; a buildingstructure positioned on the base, wherein the building structureincludes a plurality of deflection walls and reinforced corners; and aplurality of skylights carried on a roof of the building structure,wherein each skylight includes a tapered sidewall.
 2. The structure ofclaim 1, wherein the building structure includes an entrance and a drainpositioned proximate to the entrance.
 3. The structure of claim 1,wherein a portion of the building structure is below ground.
 4. Thestructure of claim 1, further including a plurality of posts positionedproximate to the outer perimeter of a roof of the building structure. 5.The structure of claim 1, further including a light emitting elementpositioned within the deflection wall.
 6. The structure of claim 5,wherein the deflection wall includes a channel positioned to receivelight from the light emitting element.
 7. The structure of claim 1,wherein the building structure includes a plurality of rooms, whereineach room is in optical communication with a skylight.
 8. A tornadoresistant structure, comprising: a base; a building structure positionedon the base, wherein the building structure includes a plurality ofangled deflection walls; a reinforced corner positioned between eachadjacent deflection wall; a front entrance extending through one of thedeflection walls; a first drain positioned to receive water flowingthrough the front entrance; and a skylight carried on a roof of thebuilding structure, wherein each skylight includes a tapered sidewall.9. The structure of claim 8, wherein the deflection walls each includean interior wall and an angled outer wall.
 10. The structure of claim 9,further including a light emitting element positioned between theinterior wall and angled outer wall.
 11. The structure of claim 10,wherein the interior wall includes a channel for receiving light fromthe light emitting element.
 12. The structure of claim 9, wherein aportion of the interior wall is positioned below ground.
 13. Thestructure of claim 12, wherein the angled outer wall is not positionedbelow ground.
 14. The structure of claim 8, wherein the buildingstructure includes a back entrance and a second drain to receive waterflowing through the back entrance.